Diyala and Salahuddin Reconstruction to cost $1.3bn

The chairman of the Fund for Areas Affected by Terrorist Operations in Iraq, Abdel-Basit Turki [Abdel Basset Turki], has said that the cost of rebuilding the provinces of Diyala and Salahuddin is expected to reach $1.28 billion (1.5 trillion Iraqi dinars).

He said that the reconstruction fund currently has only $350 million, which is a loan from the World Bank, for the purpose of the reconstruction of seven districts in the provinces of Diyala and Salahuddin, but added that international and local donors may be interested in supporting the fund.

He continued:

“There are ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Finance to allocate more money to the fund within the 2016 budget, but we expect that what the government will commit is not going to be enough, as the government is facing an economic crisis due to the decline in oil prices.”